The only time I’ve ever used eBay was to replace the right earbud of my Jabra Elite 75ts, which I had thought were lost on one devastating night earlier that week. I later found the missing earbud tangled in some clothes. I never did use that replacement earbud.
Most people who use eBay, however, don’t have pointless tales of lost items and instead spend their time browsing for their next haul of collectibles. Pokémon cards, Labubus, a lightly used DVD copy of Bionicle: Mask of Light – you name it, they probably have someone willing to buy or sell it. At Fan Expo Toronto this year, eBay set up an interactive booth that allows you a glimpse into the life, nay, the soul of the collector. That morning, I finally came to understand what it was like to use eBay the normal way.
The 4-part experience started with a hypothetical collector’s living room, filled with memorabilia ranging from a Travis Kelce action figure to a Charmander plushie morbidly relegated to the fireplace. There, my picture was taken with an item of my choice – we’ll circle back to that in a bit. The second area was a largely collectible-less kitchen, in which I played a (thankfully very easy) memory game, which awarded me a small chocolate (my breakfast).
The third area was a bedroom which I could describe to you, but will instead tell you about the horrifying, demonic presence of a black-eyed Spongebob Squarepants plushie sitting atop a shelf. It’s all I could focus on, really. I don’t have a picture handy but it was most certainly this same item. Would not recommend him as your next elf-on-the-shelf.
The fourth and final room contained the true reward: my very own collectible card. This thing is 1/1, extremely rare, and mint condition if anyone wants to buy it off of me for, let’s say…$40 CAD? Prior to the experience, I had to answer some Mad-Libs-esque questions so that an AI could generate a Pokémon-style trading card with my photo – which forced me into a moral dilemma as a generative AI hater and a seeing-myself-presented-in-the-form-of-a-trading-card lover. Overall, it was a cute time and a great precursor to the main event, a brief interview with Karthik Rajendran, Head of Collectibles at eBay Canada.
I would like to start by looking into the future a little bit. What’s going to be the next big thing in collectibles? Is that even something that can be predicted?
Absolutely, and it’s one of the great things that we get a first look at. With eBay being the home of collectibles, it’s really the destination where everybody comes together; we get a pulse on the industry and what people are searching for at the moment. Sometimes we actually do get a sneak peek of what’s coming. Anime has become very, very popular. One Piece is very popular. Next year, with Pokémon having a celebration and [a 30th] anniversary year, that’s going to continue to be a huge trend.
Let’s talk more about Pokémon. What do you think it is about Pokémon that sets it apart from everything else? Why has it lasted so long?
I really think it’s all about that kidult trend right now; everybody’s embracing that inner child, that inner sense of play and nostalgia. When I was a kid growing up, it was all about collecting Pokémon cards and Magic: The Gathering cards and Yu-Gi-Oh cards. Now I have adult money and I get to spend more money on bigger cards since those barriers have been taken away. That’s what I’m really excited about now, and that’s what I think is fueling that passion in the community today.
What is it about Labubus specifically that makes them the big thing right now?
Honestly, it has come out of nowhere. But if you remember way back when, Beanie Babies had a very similar boom, and Labubus are having that moment. They’re cute, they’re furry, they’re collectible, which is very, very cool. There are chase figures in there, and social media has really brought it to another level. I think we’re going to continue to see this Labubu trend for a while, so I’m really excited to see where it goes and where they bring the brand.
How would you say you’ve seen the industry shift in the past five years or so?
We’ve definitely seen more collectors and enthusiasts coming in. But really, the industry itself hasn’t changed a whole lot. The collectible community has always been there, and if nothing else, I think social media and us, eBay, have been that catalyst for people to have access to more inventory. eBay has been great at trying to evolve with the community and to really value collectors and what they’re searching for; that’s really propelled it.
Would you say that collecting is cyclical? Do you think we’ll see collectibles from the past return, like baseball cards or Beanie Babies?
Absolutely. Baseball cards were huge in the ‘90s, and it’s seeing a resurgence now. The Toronto Blue Jays are doing amazing right now, and that’s certainly helping with that locally. The collectibles business is very, very cyclical – Pokémon is a great example. I think with One Piece being very popular right now with millennials, we’ll be seeing that again. We’ll see a similar boom in about 10 years with those adults trying to go back and relive that moment.
What do you think is the biggest threat to the industry currently?
I don’t really know what threat there is at the moment. For me, the beautiful thing is just to see the passion in the community. That’s the enduring thing about collectibles in the business. I wouldn’t go so far as to say there are any real threats; I think everybody is just embracing this moment.
Thanks so much for taking the time!
Thank you!
My friends always told me I had a gross yet powerful presence.
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